ON May 23, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) responded to Mercraft 2, a RoRo vessel that caught fire in Real, Quezon around 5 a.m. The vessel was en route to Quezon from Polillo Island. More than 120 passengers were affected.

Immediately upon receipt of the report, the PRC Operations Center dispatched two ambulance units, one from Laguna and one from Quezon. PRC Welfare Services teams from Laguna and Quezon also visited the 22 passengers transported to the hospital. A total of 16 Red Cross personnel were deployed. Red Cross 143 volunteers in the area assisted with the response, including the provision of hot meals to the affected passengers.